EU Channels EUR 1.7 Million To Strengthen Implementation Of European Human Rights Standards In Ukraine In 2015-2016

The European Union has channeled EUR 1.7 million to strengthen the implementation of European human rights standards in Ukraine in 2015 and 2016.

Representatives of the Council of Europe and the EU announced this during a presentation of the mid-term results of their joint projects implemented in Ukraine within the Programmatic Cooperation Framework (PCF), Ukrainian News Agency reports.

In April 2014, the EU and the CoE agreed in a Statement of Intent that targeted cooperation activities with the EU's Eastern Partnership countries - would be implemented by the CoE under the PCF.

Apart from 14 regional projects that are being implemented with all Eastern Partnership states, there are five projects drawn especially for Ukraine with a common budget of EUR 3.9 million.

The project of Strengthening the Implementation of European Human Rights Standards in Ukraine works from January 1, 2015 to December 20, 2016 and its budget is EUR 1.7 million.

Within this project, expert advice has been provided on a number of bills, 2,700 police investigators in nine regions were trained on human rights standards, Council of Europe experts prepared recommendations for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights for the prevention of cruel treatment and torture and so on.

Moreover, the EU has assigned EUR 1 million to support the penitentiary reform in Ukraine and the fight against corruption each.

EUR 177,000 was channelled to the project of freedom of media in Ukraine and EUR 88,000 to support free and fair elections.

The PCF is funded 90% by the European Union and 10% by the Council of Europe. It is implemented by the Council of Europe.

The PCF actions, both country-specific and regional, were designed in close consultation with national stakeholders, in the framework of the Council of Europe's country-specific Action Plans and the European Union's country-specific Annual Action Programmes (AAP), as well as Association Agreements where they have signed.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the National Police in September opened an Office of the Human Rights Directorate of the National Police.